Was It All For Nothing? Sequal to All Grown Up
by Zandra135
Summary: Ebony and Jay have been reunited and have returned to the Mall with daughter Lily. Two years later the Chosen have returned, turning the Mall Rats into slaves. Was the rebuilding of their lives once again worth it, or was it all for nothing?
1. Chapter 1

_Running for him, she grabbed him by the neck and pulled back. He gasped as he fell backwards onto the floor. Her grip tightened as she took the dagger from her pocket. She brought the blade within an inch of his neck and she smiled. Her beautiful smile was cut short as she was grabbed from behind. She uttered a garbled cry as the dagger flew from her hand and landed on the steps. She was spun around and saw her friends. Her eyes widened as she saw they were all held, captured, and the steps to the temple held many more guards. Her eyes closed and she sighed as the man she had held captive moments before stood and walked before her._

_"Very foolish," he told her with a laugh. He raised his hand, striking her face and causing small droplets of blood to fall from her mouth. She narrowed her eyes and laughed as the man pushed his hair over his shoulder._

_"Is that all you've got?" She asked, spitting dark red blood onto his brilliantly white tunic. She tilted her head and looked directly into his eyes. "You will pay. It doesn't matter how long it takes but you will pay. You have done some despicable things and if it's the last thing I do I will make you pay."_

_"I don't think that will be possible for you." He clicked his fingers and two men walked out of the building, carrying long, thick swords. The group of rebels looked at the men and began screaming and shouting. Pushing and pulling they tried to break free of the men holding them. The man smirked as the girl was pushed onto the steps and held down. She was not struggling as the guards held her down and the men took their position beside her._

_"Just remember that there will always be people out to get you. No matter how many people you recruit or how many guards you have protecting you, you will be brought down. It may take time but you will not get away with this. Sleep with one eye open, Guardian. You will never be safe."_

_"Strong words for a person in your position," the Guardian said, smiling down at the girl. "You could have been apart of this, my child, but you chose your path and now I have no choice but to send you to meet the mighty Zoot. Maybe he can forgive you and your sins. But no matter what, you will learn the way of the Chosen. It is just a pity that it has to happen in the other world." The Guardian motioned to the two men and they began to move gracefully around the square, at the top of the steps, putting on a deadly performance. Their deadly dance continued as the group of rebels stood screaming, pleading the Guardian. He ignored them and continued to watch the girl. Her head was placed on the step but she was not struggling, her eyes were fixed on the floor, accepting her fate. The men continued their show as the girl finally spoke._

_"I love you, all of you. Tell the others to keep fighting. Bring him down," she said to the other rebels. "Don't forget me and keep the dream alive." The Guardian watched this with quiet awe, unsure where the girls strength came from. In one fluid motion the men brought their blades down. It quickly cut through the girls flesh, sending a spray of blood onto her friends._

_"NO!" One of the rebels cried out, tears gushing down her face. She turned as one of the male rebels wrapped his arms around her, accepting her, as his own tears began to fall. Another rebel stood still, his system flooded with shock, and he slowly sank to his knees. The braided head of the girl rolled along the ground and came to rest at the Guardian's feet. He nudged it with his toe._

_"All blasphemers must learn the consequences of going against the Chosen. The Chosen will prevail and no one, no one, will stop us." The Guardian motioned and the rebels were dragged into the mall._

_"Make sure this is cleaned up. We have a celebration tomorrow," the Guardian told one of his guard as he motioned to the girls corpse and the blood littering the steps. As he walked into the mall the clean up had begun and within minutes every trace of the murder had been removed and quietness returned to the city._

--

The Chosen take-over had been quick and expertly executed. The Guardian had slowly been building support and before long he had more then four times the amount of followers he had, had during the first occupation. The city was still living peacefully and Jay was still city leader when the Guardian decided to strike, sending shockwaves throughout the city and the surrounding area. The takeover had taken place only two years after Ebony, Ved and Cloe returned to the city. By this time Mouse had joined the Gaians and Amber and Bray Jr had rejoined the Mall Rats. Trudy, unable to cope with Jay and Ebony's relationship, had rejoined the Chosen, taking her rightful place as Supreme Mother. Brady, however, has refused to accept the will of the Chosen but, despite her hatred of the Chosen, she has been forced to take the position of Divine Child and she lives the privileged life. Tai-San was beaten regularly for daring to impersonate the Supreme Mother. At least once a week she was beaten and the Chosen made sure that the bruises could not be shown. Only Lex and a few select Mall Rats know about the treatment she receives. The Mall Rats have been Chosen slaves for almost a year, with no hope of escape.

The Mall Rats sat in the room which Ebony and Jay shared, trying to come up with a solution to the Chosen. They had, had many discussions during the occupation and they had never amounted to much. Lily sat holding Bray Jr's hand as the group continued ming plans that they would never carry out. Lily sighed loudly.

"Do you have anything you want to add, Lily?" Amber asked, looking at her.

"Yeah," Lily said, standing up and letting go of Bray's (Jr) hand. "What's the point?"

"What?" Amber asked, tilting her head.

"What's the point?" Lily asked again. "We have a 'war council' every week and we make these brilliant plans and have we ever carried out any?" The group lowered their heads.

"We just haven't had the chance," Bray said, trying to pull Lily down. Lily pushed his hand off.

"Haven't had that chance?" Lily asked, shaking her head. "We won't get the chance. Do you think the Chosen are going to give us the chance to do something? And if there is a chance do you think it's something we can plan for?" Ebony stood beside her daughter.

"She's right," she said to the group. "If something is going to happen it will happen. We can't plan for everything. When the time comes we'll just know. It's never going to happen the way we want it so we can't keep doing this. Getting our hopes up and then having them dashed over and over." Bray stood up as Ebony sat back down. He looked at Lily and sighed.

"I hate to say this, but you're wrong," Bray told Lily.

"What?" Lily asked. Bray tried to touch Lily's arm but she shrugged him off.

"Well we need to plan. Yeah it may never happen but if something does happen we need to have something in our mind to work from. We can't just dive in and hope for the best. We might miss opportunities by doing that. Now," he said, walking towards Lily. "Sit down and let's talk about the plan."

"No," Lily said, pushing him away more firmly. "God who do you think you are. Don't speak to me like that."

"Lily..."

"No Bray, forget it. You keep doing this, planning your little plans. Nothing will happen if you go on like this and all you'll do is make life harder. If we are going to escape we need to act on impulse and look for opportunities, not sit here in the dark. So just forget it," Lily turned and strode out of the room, almost colliding with a Chosen guard, she headed to her room, as the others began to talk.

--

Ebony entered her daughters room and found her lying face down on the bed. She sat down beside her and began stroking her hair.

"He's so...annoying some time," Lily said, turning to face Ebony.

"They all are hunni," Ebony said with a smile. "Men are pigs. It's the rule of life." Lily smiled. "You were right, though." Lily nodded.

"I know. I'm just sick of getting my hopes up and then nothing happening. We are never going to be free if we don't actually put up a resistance."

"It was different the first time," Ebony told her. "At least there were people putting up a fight."

"I remember your stories."

"Everyone is just too scared now. I just wish we had given the Guardian over to the mob. At least then the Chosen would have been buried and there would be no uprising."

"Yeah. But he'll get his," Lily said, displaying a fire in her eyes that Ebony was all to used to possessing. "It may take a while but he will get his." Ebony nodded.  
"Well make it happen. Now," Ebony began, standing up. "You get some rest and I'll see you in the work party." Ebony walked out of the room and put her back against the wall.

"She's her mother's daughter all right," Ebony said out loud, and headed off to her own room.

--

Bray knocked on the wall outside Lily's room and waited just out of sight.

"Come in," Lily said and Bray walked into the room. "Get out." Lily lay back down on her bed.

"Listen..."

"No you listen," Lily told him, cutting him off. "What I was saying made sense and you know it. But instead of taking it on board you decide it would be better to patronise me in front of everyone. You do it again you can find yourself another girl. I'm not like your mother and I won't be spoken to like that."

"Don't talk about my mum," Bray told her sternly.

"I'll talk about whoever I want and you can't stop me. You think I'm just going to lie down for you and forget who I am but I'm not. I have my own mind, Bray and until you can accept that you can just leave." Bray sighed and ran his hand through his hair, his fathers hair.

"I know you have your own mind," Bray told her, taking a seat beside her on the bed. "It's just that we need to keep peoples hopes up. Even if nothing happens we can't be demoralised. Think of poor Tai-San or even Brady. It will happen and we need to keep the dream alive."

"I know that but it doesn't matter how many plans we make everyone believes that the dream is dead." Bray sighed and took Lily's hand.

"We need to stick together. I'm sorry for what I said. Do you forgive me?" Lily looked at Bray and tilted her head. She liked keeping him waiting, especially when he messed up.

"I guess," Lily told im with a smile.

"Good," Bray said and kissed her gently on the lips.

--

Lily woke up from her sleep by the rough handling of the Chosen Guards.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she was pulled from her bed and thrown to the floor. Her hair was thrown around everywhere and one of the guard stood on one of her long braids, causing her to wince. He pulled it free and slowly rubbed her head.  
"You are late for your duties," one of the guards told her. "You have work detail at the farm." Lily shook her head and stood up.

"You catch more flies with honey than vinegar," she told them scowling. She reached for her clothes and turned to face the guards. "I need to get dressed." The guards raised their eyebrows but stayed in their position. "I'm not changing if you're standing there." One guard raised his hand as footsteps came up behind him.

"What are you doing?" Brady asked, putting on her most authoritative voice. Due to her timid nature, the voice was not as strong as she hoped.

"Uh...well..."

"Uh...Divine Child. We were just calling this slave for work detail. She was late."

"Then why don't you leave her to dress. If you mistreat her again you will be severely punished." The guards nodded and left the room. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Lily said, hugging her friend. "They were a bit rough but it's nothing I can't handle." Brady sighed and sat down on Lily's bed as Lily started to dress.

"I'm sorry," Brady told her. "I've tried asking for you to be transferred to be my handmaiden but the Guardian won't allow it."

"I know. But even if I did get transferred it wouldn't help the others." Brady nodded. "I need to get out of here. We all do." Lily sat down next to Brady, still half dressed and sighed. "We can't keep this up forever."

--

Ebony, Jay, Bray, Lily, Amber, Lex and other slaves were standing at the Phoenix fountain, waiting to go on their work parties. For months the work the parties were doing had been getting harder, the work was longer and they were having to travel further and further to get to their duties.

"I hate this," Bray said with a sigh.

"Well we love it," Ebony said sarcastically.

"There's no need for that," Amber told her, adjusting her shackles to a comfortable position on her wrist. Jay took Ebony's hand and gave it a squeeze. The Chosen guards began walking down the stairs and two joined the chain gang, one at the front and one at the back.

"Here we go again," Jay said, pulling Ebony close. The two guards began moving the slaves out of the mall and towards the farm.

--

The slaves were walking along a dirt road, heading towards the farm. Bray was dragging his feet and looking around him at the countryside. All of a sudden he felt a rock slip from under his foot and, before he could stop it, he was on the floor. He grabbed his knee as a sharp pain ran through it.

"Damn it," he said as a guard ran up to him.

"Get up," the guard said, prodding him with his staff. Bray narrowed his eyes. He stated to get up when his eyes fell on a large object next to him. Before he knew what he was doing he picked it up, leapt to his feet and smashed the guard with the rock he was holding. The guard collapsed, his blood gushing onto a few of the slaves. The guard at the front of the slaves leapt to his feet but Lex grabbed him around the neck and Jay attacked him with the fallen guards staff. Before long both guards were lying beside each other and the slave had run off. The Mall Rats stood looking at the guards and watching the other slaves running.

"Where did that come from?" Amber asked Bray.

"I don't know," Bray said, looking the guards. "I just saw an opportunity and took it," he told his mum and looked at Lily.

"I hate to break up this little party but we need to get out of here and go somewhere safe," Ebony told the group.

"Yeah more guards and slaves will be along soon," Lex added. "We need to get these shackles off and find a place to hide."

"The resistance is back," Ebony said with a smile, and the group headed back into the city.


	2. Chapter 2

The rebel Mall Rats stood in an old, disused office building. The place had been ransacked but it was still liveable and the resistance could still run from there.

"This is perfect," Ebony said, sitting on an computer chair.

"Yeah but what are we going to do now?" Amber asked, sitting down on a table.

"We beat the Chosen," Lex said as he looked out of the window onto the city.

"But how?" Amber asked. "There are to many of them. We don't stand a chance."

"I didn't think the wonderful Amber gave up," Ebony said with a sly smile.

"I'm not giving up...well I suppose I am. The best thing we can do is leave the city..."

"No," Lily said, speaking for the first time since the break out. "What about everyone who's still stuck in the mall? What about Tai-San and Salene? What about Brady? I'm not leaving the city without her."

"But she is part of the Chosen," Lex said. "She won't come with us."  
"Yes she will," Lily insisted. "She hates it there as much as anyone."

"So what are we going to do?" Bray asked. "Storm the mall? Go on a full scale attack? There are only seven of us."

"She never said that," Jay jumped in.

"We just have to use our old tactics," Ebony added. "Hit and run attacks. Then when the timing is right we strike."

"Strike? Strike how?" Amber asked.

"That's not important," Lily said. "The main thing is that we let the Chosen know that there are people out here willing to put up a fight."

"Yeah we need to show them that there are people to be reckoned with," Lex added.

"Now," Ebony said, standing up. "What's our first move?"

­­­­­­­­­­­­­--

Brady was sitting in her room, reading a book. As she entered a different world the Guardian walked in, bringing her back to reality.

"What is it?" she asked with a sigh.

"Divine child I've heard you have dismissed your maid," the Guardian said, standing in front of her, menacingly.

"Yes I did. I don't need a maid," Brady told him, in her strongest voice.

"But you are the divine child," the Guardian told her. "You are to be looked after and you are to receive all of the privileges of the blood line of Zoot. You are to want for nothing."

"But I am quite capable of looking after myself," Brady said, less assuredly than before. The Guardian heard the drop in her voice and pounced.

"Brady you are the child of the great one," the Guardian began. "You deserve the privileged life. Now you will keep your maid and you will not deviate. It's time for you to join the Supreme Mother at the temple for a prayer class." Brady shakily stood.

"Yes Guardian," she said quietly. Brady left her room and walked to the temple. Why can't I stand up for myself? Brady asked herself. She sighed. She knew she was nothing like Zoot and the Guardian had a slight resentment towards her because of it. She sometimes wished she was like her father, that she was forward and tough. If she were she could easily stand up to the Guardian and save her friends. She sighed again, more slowly than before.

"But I'm not," she said out loud. "I'm just me."

--

Ebony was lying on a bed in the office building. The new rebels managed to find beds for themselves in an abandoned building next to theirs, which had housed the Demon Dogs before the Chosen took over. Ebony slowly rolled over onto her side and started to think about the last Chosen occupation. Bray had stopped her killing the Guardian on more than one occasion and if she had carried out the execution then none of this would be happening. As Ebony pondered the new war she was facing, Jay walked into the room and lay down beside her. He cuddled into her back and put his arm around her waist.

"Where have you been?" Jay asked, nuzzling into her neck.

"Just lying here thinking about the Chosen," Ebony told him. "You know during the last occupation I came so close to wasting the Guardian. I had the opportunity more than once but boy-scout Bray waded in."

"He just thought he was doing the right thing," Jay told her. Ebony turned onto her back and sighed.

"I know but we were so close," Ebony said. "If we had wasted the Guardian none of this would be happening." Jay pulled Ebony closer and kissed her on the cheek.

"It doesn't matter because we are going to put a stop to that mad man," Jay told her. "We managed to stop Ram, didn't we? This guy will be a walk in the park." Ebony smiled but her heart sunk. You have no clue, Ebony thought as Jay kissed her again.

The rebels sat around a large table, arguing about what to do about the Chosen.

"We need to get in there and get the others out," Lex said. "For the second time in our marriage that looney has my wife. The only difference is that this time he has my daughter as well. My family are in there and I don't care what the rest of you think we are mounting a resistance. If any of you don't like it leave now." Lex looked around the table and everyone stayed still. He thought about Tai-San who was once again stuck in the mall. "Good now what are we going to do?"

"Well they'll know were gone by now," Amber said. "I think the best strategy is doing what we did last time. We keep hitting the Chosen, keep attacking."

"But what can we do?" Jay asked. "There are so my of them."

"I think first we hit their food store. There are so many of them that food is their biggest weakness," Ebony told the group. "Then we hit the temples. They are springing up all over the city so we spring on them. We invade them, take out the guards and then take out the temples. After that we regroup and think of new ways to hit them."

"But we don't know where the food store is," Bray said, disheartened.

"I do," Ebony told them. "Well I think I do. After the first occupation Luke told us where the food stores were. The Guardian didn't know about it so they might still be using the same store."

"I think we need to check it out," Amber said with a nod. "We also need a group to check out security in the temples and we need someone to try and recruit more people. There are a lot of people out there who aren't Chosen."

"Most of the Chosen and even the Guardian have come from Techno camps," Jay said. "I heard rumours before about a man recruiting from camps but I never took much notice."

"Well that means that there are a lot of city kids and country kids who may be wiling to fight."

"Ok I will go with Jay to try and recruit kids," Amber said. "Ebony you and Lex go to the food store. Stake it out and see what security is like. Lily you and Bray go to the temples. Start with the one in sector five. I think it will be the safest. Is everyone ok with that?" Everyone around the table nodded. "Ok then, let's go."

--

The farm, which once belonged to Alice and Ellie, was again put to work by the Chosen. Ryan, who had taken over the running of the farm, was put to work every day. As he started to pick up the potatoes the Guardian walked out of the van that brought him to the farm. He surveyed the work that was being done and focussed his eyes on Ryan. Ryan noticed the look and kept his eyes down.

"You!" The Guardian said, pointing to him. Ryan kept his head down, hoping that the Guardian was pointing to someone else. "Bring him to me." Two guards grabbed Ryan and dragged him backwards towards the Guardian. They threw him to his knees and he fell in front of the Guardian. He struggled round and looked up into the Guardian's eyes.

"You are a Mall Rat are you not?"

"No Guardian," Ryan said slowly.

"Don't lie to me," the Guardian told him. Ryan felt the pain before he realised what had happened. The guard behind him struck him on the back of the head with his staff. Moments later he felt another blow and blackness enveloped him. The Guardian looked at the unconscious boy and to his guards.

"I want him in the mall," he told the guards. "He should be with his former tribe and be privileged to be within the temple of Zoot." The guards nodded and grabbed Ryan. They picked him up and tossed him into the back of the van. He landed with a dull thump and the doors closed with a loud bang. Ryan opened his eyes for a brief second before he fell back into the darkness.

--

Ebony and Lex dropped down behind a pile of crates. A black Chosen van passed by and drove slowly down the street and round a corner. Lex sighed.

"That was a close one," Lex said, standing up. He held out his hand and helped Ebony up.

"Yeah well life's not exciting without a few close ones," Ebony told him with a smile. "We're about two sectors away."

"Better get a move on then." Ebony led the way down the street, in the opposite way to which the Techno van went. "Are you sure you know where you're going?"

"Of course I do," Ebony told him, as they walked down the deserted street. "I have a memory like an elephant. I never forget."

"That's true but I seem to remember that the last time you thought you knew where the food reserve was you took me on a wild goose chase."

"And I seem to remember that you have a slap due," Ebony said, hitting Lex on the back of the head.

"Witch."

--

Lily and Bray stood in a deserted building opposite to that of the temple in sector 5. The temple was not heavily guarded, with only two guard watching the doors, but they had seen many Chosen go into the building to worship Zoot.

"We'll need to hit the temples during the afternoon," Lily told Bray.

"Why?"

"Because the Chosen are unlikely to be in the temple then," Lily said, her eyes still on the building. "During the afternoon the Chosen are busy on work parties. Between twelve and two there will only be a couple worshipping. That means that we can go in and waste the guards then the worshippers. Easy."

"Well should we head back?" Bray asked.

"No. There are ten Chosen in there. We need to wait until it empties."

"What should we do till then?" Bray asked with a smile.

"I don't know," Lily said, smiling a smile of her own. "Do you have any suggestions?" Bray pulled Lily close, kissing her passionately.

--

A guard entered the office of the Guardian and bowed his head.  
"Yes, what do you want?" the Guardian asked.

"Guardian a work party broken free. Two guards have been killed." The Guardian narrowed his eyes.

"Who broke free?"

"It was the Mall Rat party. Lex, Ebony, Jay, Amber, Bray and Lily. They are all missing. Other slaves broke free as well but they have been recaptured."

"I want those Mall Rats found," the Guardian told the guard. "Last time the rebels caused problems. I don't want that to happen again. I want them found and I want an example made of them. While they are away I want the remaining Mall Rats put on extra work parties and I want their rations cut."

"Yes Guardian."

"Has the new slave Mall Rat woken yet?"

"Yes Guardian," the guard told him. "He is still in the infirmary recovering."

"Good. Put him with the Mall Rats when he is fully recovered and give him the same punishment as the others."

"Yes Guardian."

--

Amber slumped down onto a wall. Jay followed, sitting beside her, and put his head in his hands. They had spent the last two hours in sector seventeen trying to convince any non-Chosen they could find to join the rebel alliance. Sector seventeen was the only sector not controlled by the Chosen and it had become a haven for every non-Chosen in the city. The Chosen didn't go anywhere near sector seventeen, due to the high amount of crazies and low-lives, and that suited the inhabitants just fine. Jay and Amber had decided to start there. They knew that the sector now contained more than the normal crowd, it contained people who had lost friends and families due to the occupation and it was home to people who may fight. They had been wrong.

"People are just too scared to fight," Jay said, lifting his head off of his hands. "The Chosen have grown too big. There has already been so much blood shed, the others don't want to be added to the list of the dead."

"I know," Amber said with a sigh. "But we can't give up. Our friends are still in there. We can't just forget about them."

"You've changed your tune," Jay said, looking her in the eyes.  
"I know but I've realised that we can't let the Chosen get away with it. We can't just lie down and play dead."

"You're right," Jay told her, standing up. "Let's go then. We need to get them active. They want to fight, they just don't know it yet." Jay helped Amber up and they headed down the street towards a drinking den.

--

Ebony peered around a corner and saw six guards stationed at the entrance to the food store Luke had once shown to her. Ebony estimated that there would be between four to six patrolling the back entrance and the sides of the building.

"Is this the place?" Lex asked from behind Ebony. She turned to face him and nodded.

"Yeah it must be it," she told him and took another look at the guards. "They wouldn't be guarding it so well if it wasn't."

"But why guard it so fiercely?" Lex asked. "They don't know about us and the city folk who haven't been captured are unlikely to try and break in. It would be suicide."

"That's true but if there wasn't so many guards it wouldn't be suicide, would it?"

"I guess not," Lex said. He moved Ebon behind him and peered around the corner himself. The guards were crowded around a door six doors down from their current position and Lex guessed that it was the store they were looking for. He turned quickly to Ebony. "If we take over the food store we'll have something to bargain with. If others don't want to join we could tempt them in with offers of food. No one has been fed well since those loonies took over again. Well that is if Amber and Jay don't have any luck."

"You know Lex that's one of the smartest plans you've ever come up with." Lex smiled a toothy, award-winning grin.

"Thanks," Lex said, still smiling. Ebony shook her head. "So what's our move?"

"Well we can't take them all on," Ebony told him. "We'll need the others on this. I think we could take them if we were all together."

"Should we head back to base then?"

"Might as well," Ebony said, turning in the direction they came in. Lex fell into step beside her.

"So are you worried?" Lex asked, a small smile on his face.

"Worried about what?" Ebony asked, quickening her pace. Lex kept up with her easily as they moved into the dirty side-streets and alleys.

"Worried about Lover-boy being all alone with Amber," Lex said, his smile slowly getting bigger. "Maybe Bray won't be the only one Amber steals." Ebony turned and scowled at Lex but kept walking.

"You'll get yours, Lex," she said slowly.

"I can't wait," Lex told her with a small laugh.

--

Lily looked out of the window and out onto the temple as she slowly zipped up her black leather top. They had been in the building for a few hours and the temple had finally emptied. The only people who remained were to new guards, standing outside of the doors.

"I think it'll be safe to go now," Lily told Bray, turning towards him. The building they were in was old, dirty and musty. It hadn't been used in a long time and Lily wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

"Do we have to?" Bray asked, giving her a gentle kiss. Lily pushed Bray off of her and stood up, stretching her arms above her head.

"Yes we have to go," Lily said, lowering her arms. "This is the first time in hours that the temple is clear and there are only guards. We can easily slip out the doors here without being spotted."

"Fine, fine," Bray grumbled. He stood up and dusted himself off. He looked out of the window and down the street. The entire place was deserted, apart from the Chosen guards, and there were absolutely no noises to hear. "It's pretty creepy here at night." Bray put his arms around Lily's waist and pulled her close. "If any monsters come, I'll protect you!"

"You? I could take you," Lily told him. "And I'm a girl." Lily smiled and kissed Bray softly.

"Well let's go back," Bray said, untangling his arms from her waist. "We better go and see what the others fond out." Lily grabbed her jacket and bag and slung the bag over her shoulder. The slipped down the stairs quietly and cunningly and escaped into the night with no interruptions.

--

Ved walked into the room he and Cloe shared. She was lying on the bed reading a book, but she put it down when he came in.

"How was work?" Cloe asked. The Chosen were more organised than before and now the slaves worked on a rotation system.

"Fine," Ved told her, pulling off his boots. He threw them hard against the wall. "I was working on a clean up crew. Nothing exciting to report."

"There never is," Cloe said, moving over on the bed to allow Ved to lie down. He joined her, stretching out on the bed, then lifted his for Cloe to rest on his chest.  
"I heard a rumour though," Ved said, mysteriously.

"What?"

"Oh I can't tell you that," Ved said a smile. "It might not be true and then you'll get all moody..."

"I'm not moody," Cloe said, hitting him softly on the chest. "So just tell me...or I will get moody."

"Ok, ok I'll tell you," Ved said, turning towards her. "Rumour has it that one of the overnight slave groups got free yesterday morning and that only some of them have been caught."

"So. What does that matter? It's only a couple of lost slaves."

"Well haven't you noticed who isn't back from the work parties?" Cloe thought about it then shook her head.

"I'll give you a clue...you've known them for a long time." Cloe still looked clueless and Ved shook his head. "Some missing Mall Rats..."

"Amber, Lex and the others..."

"That's right genius."

"Praise be to Zoot," Cloe said with a laugh. "Finally something is going to get done about the Chosen."

"What makes you say that?" Ved asked.

"Well last time the freed Mall Rats started a rebel group and defeated the Chosen," Cloe told him. "They managed to confuse and break the Guardian."

"Didn't break him very well did they?"

"I guess not. If they manage to overthrow him again there is no way he'll ever survive."


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

Jay and Amber walked into a large office room that the rebels had been using as a headquarters. They found Lex and Ebony already there, sitting at the desk and talking. Jay and Amber sat down.

"What did you find?" Amber asked, sitting her coat onto the desk.

"Well we think the building is still being used as a food store," Ebony said.

"Think?" Jay asked.

"Well we were not sure," Lex told them. "There were too many guards to get close."  
"How many?"

"Six," Ebony said. "But I think there many have been some round the back too. We can't be sure that it holds food but it holds something big."

"Good. We'll keep an eye on it over the next few days and then we'll strike," Amber told the others.

"What about you guys," Lex asked. "Did you recruit anyone?"

"Not yet," Jay said. "They're all too scared to fight. We tried every tactic in the book and it's just not working. For now it's just us."

"Great," Lex said, with a long sigh. "The Chosen are back, they are stronger than ever and we've only got a six person rebellion. Fantastic."

"Don't worry," Jay told Lex, leaning back in his chair. "Word has gotten around that we've escaped. People are excited. If we show them we mean business then we can win this war. All we need is something big and people will join."

"Build it and they will come?" Ebony asked with a smile.

"Exactly,"Jay said. "We can do this." As Jay finished Lily and Bray walked in. They quickly sat down and Lily put her head onto the large table. "How did it go?"

"Fine. We went to the temple," Lily told the group. "There are only two guards but there is a lot of action with off duty Chosen. A lot go there to pray. I think the best time to strike would be during the day."

"What?" Lex asked. "During the day? With no darkness to cover us? When Chosen guards will be going to pray?"

"Let me finish," Lily said, cutting Lex off before he had the chance to raise any more questions. "We go during the work parties. Most of the guards are busy working meaning that only a few will be praying. We can easily take out the guard on front then, once we get in there, we can overpower the others."

"Sounds good to me," Lex said. "Let's get in there and show those Chosen we're a force to be reckoned with."

"Hang on Lex," Amber told him. "We can't just barge in there without any planning. We don't plan we get caught."

"It's always plan, plan, plan with you Amber," Lex said, leaning back in his chair. "You've alway been the same...all those cleaning rotas. Brings me out in a rash." Amber shook her head.

"Anyway we should start planning on raiding the temple. After that we can do the food store. That's going to be a big one. It's going to hit them hard and it'll be a trading point with the others."

"We can start planning tomorrow," Jay said, standing up. "It's been a big day and I think we should just relax. The next few weeks are going to be hectic."

"Agreed," Amber said, standing up. "We'll meet tomorrow and start planning." Everyone stood up and went there separate ways. Once everyone cleared the room and Ebony walked towards Jay and put her arms around his waist.

"So how does it feel to be a rebel?" Ebony asked Jay, a seductive grin on her face.

"I dunno," Jay said, reaching down to kiss her. "As long as I get to feel you, it's all good." Ebony pulled away, hitting Jay in the stomach. She went to hit him again but he caught her hand and spun her round, turning the hit attempt into a Hollywood kiss.

--

Ryan stood up from the unusual bed he had found himself in. He was told that he was back in the mall, in a sort of infirmary, and that he had been knocked out back at the farm. He had felt the pain in the back of his head and he vaguely remembered someone striking him. This was his first trip out of bed and he was feeling better, a lot better in fact. As he walked towards the door a guard walked in.

"Hey you," the guard said, almost shouted. "Back to your bed. You are to stay in bed until you are told otherwise."

"But I'm feeling better," Ryan said, standing his ground.

"Better?" The guard asked. "Well then you can no longer stay here. The Guardian said that as soon as you were better you were to be taken back to your former tribe."

"The Mall Rats?" Ryan asked, widening his eyes. "No I'm not feeling better. I made a mistake I should stay here."

"Too late," the guard told Ryan. He motioned and two other guards rushed in and grabbed Ryan by the arms. They began pulling him to the door but he resisted.

"No I'm ill," he protested, but the large guards over powered him. They dragged him to the door and out into the main part of the mall. He saw Cloe, Salene, a young man and small child gathered at the fountain. He began to struggle a more as Salene came closer and closer into view. His struggle proved to be fruitless as he was thrown in front of his former tribe. He landed in the middle of them, on his front, his head down. The others stood up and the man rushed to help him.

"You ok, man?" He asked, helping him up.

"Yeah I'm fine," Ryan said, looking up. His eyes found Salene's and he looked away again.

"Ryan?" Salene asked, her eyes widened as she looked at her 'former' husband.

--

Lex sat on the roof of the office building, looking out over the city. He was absentmindedly running his hands along the ground, the dirt clinging to his fingers. His eyes scanned the buildings, most of them he knew were empty. He stood up and walked to the edge of the roof and looked over. He couldn't see the mall from where he was and he sat back down on the roof, his legs dangling over the edge. He picked up a few pebbles and began to throw them, trying to hit the building on the other side of the road. He sighed. He missed Tai-San and Rhoda. He knew the Guardian's hatred for Tai-San and now he couldn't protect her, not that he could do much when he was there. Amber walked up behind him as he continued to throw his stones. She sat down beside him and allowed her own legs to dangle over the side.

"Are you worried about them?" Amber asked, picking up her own stones. Lex brought his hands into his lap, giving up his stone throwing game. He turned to Amber as she began to drop stones over the edge.

"What kind of question is that?" Lex asked. "That fruit-cake is doing god knows what to my wife and my little girl is in there. If he lays a hand on her..."

"Don't worry Lex," Amber told him, releasing all of her rocks at once. "He wouldn't touch her. Brady wouldn't let him anyway."

"I hope you're right. If he touched her...he'd be a dead man walking. I mean it, Amber. I wouldn't be able to hold myself back."

"I know Lex," Amber said, standing up. "And don't worry about Tai-San. She's a strong woman...even now she's strong." Lex looked up at Amber, squinting his eyes as the sun peaked around Amber and into his eyes.

"I know but I just hate seeing him getting away with it all," Lex said and turned back to swing his legs over the edge. Amber looked at Lex and turned, heading back into the building.

--

Ebony lay beside Jay on their bed. His arm was around her neck and draped over her shoulder. Ebony slowly turned over on the bed and put her arm around Jay's waist. She could feel Jay's heart beating and she looked up at him. Jay looked down at her and smiled then kissed the top of her head.

"What?" Jay asked.

"Nothing," Ebony said shaking her head.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Jay asked, giving her an extra squeeze. Ebony shrugged.

"Yeah," Ebony told him, sitting up on her elbows. "It'll just be like before. Except this time there are more Chosen, there are fewer rebels and the odds really are against us."

"Do you think we'll defeat them?"  
"Of course."

"Really?" Jay asked, sitting up and crossing his legs.

"Yeah," Ebony said, tilting her head. She thought for a moment about the Chosen and the odds against them. "The Chosen are built on a lie. Zoot was no God. He was just another messed up kid. He could lead and fight, I'll give him that, but he wasn't a god. We just need to show them that. Why? Don't you think we'll do it?"

"Of course I do," Jay told her. "I just think some people are losing heart."

"Don't worry about that," Ebony told him, sitting up and facing him. "Once we start hitting the Chosen they'll get there spark back."

"I hope so," Jay said. "Otherwise we're already beaten."

--

The Mall Rats stood staring at Ryan, unsure of what to think. It was Cloe who moved first, walking up to Ryan and giving him a cuddle.

"Ryan," she said, squeezing him tightly. "What happened to you? Where have you been?" Ryan hugged her back. He couldn't believe that he was back in the mall, after so many years apart. He was hoping that the Mall Rats wouldn't recognise him, but he had been wrong. They were his family and they would always recognise each other, no matter how long they had been apart.

"Hey everyone," he said, as Cloe let go.

"We've missed you, Ryan," Tai-San said, giving him her own hug. "It's been a long time."

"Yes it has," Ryan said. Salene walked slowly up to him and gave him her own cuddle, which was stiff and awkward. "How has everyone been?" Ryan knew that he was a lot quieter than he had been, a lot more thoughtful. He had seen a lot in the mines and during the first few months of the second Chosen occupation he had seen the woman, he had finally allowed himself to fall in love with, be murdered in front of his eyes. He looked at Salene but quickly looked away. She was still the same girl he had married all those years ago but he couldn't let himself care again. I've already been hurt enough, he thought looking at his family.

"Everyone is fine," Cloe said. "Except for the Chosen and the Techno's everything has been great." Ryan smiled.

"Sorry," he said quietly. "Where's everyone else?"

"Well we were all together," Tai-San told him. "But Lex, Ebony, Jay, Bray, Amber and Lily escaped." Ryan nodded.

"I don't have a clue who half of them are." Cloe smiled.  
"You'll learn," she said, still smiling. Salene stood, quietly, not saying anything. She wasn't sure what to think. When she left the mall to find Ryan she found herself, not her long lost husband. Since then the only man that had been in her life was Pride, who had suffered a premature death. Now her mind, and her heart, were being torn in two. One part of her was remembering the feelings that she had, had for Ryan, with the other part clinging to the barrier that she had built after Pride died. As Cloe, Tai-San and Ved filled Ryan on the goings on in the mall since he left, Salene slowly backed away from the group and headed to her room. Out of the corner of his eye, Ryan watched her go.

--

The rebels gathered around the table, sitting close together. They were talking about the ransacking of the temple.

"Do you think they'll have any supplies?" Lily asked.

"I'm not sure," Amber said. "If they do it'll be minimal. They will only have enough for the guards and some worshippers."

"Why are we even targeting the temples?" Lex asked. "So we bump off a few guards and wreck them. So what? The Guardian won't care."

"We just need to let them know that we're not going to lie down take it," Amber told him. "We just need to show him that there are people willing to fight. Then we go in for the big jobs." Lex shook his head.

"So when are we going to hit the place?" Ebony asked.

"Today," Lily answered. "We need to strike while the irons hot. We go at noon. By that time all of the Chosen will be on there work details and we stand a better chance."

"We'll need weapons," Ebony said. "We can get them easily enough. Maybe we should get some spray cans, leave a little message for the Guardian. I'll take Lex and Bray and we'll go to sector seventeen, see what we can muster up."

"Ok you do that and the rest of us will go to the temple," Amber said. "We can hide in the building that Lily and Bray used yesterday. We'll check it out and you can meet us there. That way if there's anything suspicious we don't need to go through with it."

"Let's get going then," Jay said, standing up and stretching. "We've only got a few hours until noon so we need to work quickly." The others stood up and grabbed their coats. They separated into groups and started to leave. Ebony pulled Jay back as the others went outside.

"Be careful," she said, giving him a slow kiss.

"I always am," Jay told her with a smile. The both leaned in for another kiss when Lex popped his head around the door.

"We've not got all day," He said, disappearing again. Ebony rolled her eyes and they walked outside, joining the others.

--

The Guardian sat in his suite, opposite Trudy. He was fidgeting, tapping his fingers quickly on his wrist.

"I know the rebels cannot win against us but the escape is showing us to be weak."

"Well why not show the people our power?" Trudy asked. "We can take more slaves."

"No," the Guardian said, still tapping his fingers. "That will not do. We need something to show them that we are the strong, that we will not be beaten." Trudy thought for a moment then smiled. "Do you have something Supreme Mother?"

"Yes," Trudy said, the smile still plastered on her face. "We show the people we are strong by having a...sacrifice to the mighty Zoot." A smile slowly spread across the Guardian's face.

"Perfect," the Guardian said, as he stopped tapping his fingers. "A public sacrifice. We shall show the people." Trudy smiled and leaned back into her chair.

"Zoot be praised," she said, still smiling.

"And to his Chosen victory."

--

Cloe and Ved sat in the café, having a drink. Cloe sat her cup down and looked up.

"I never thought I'd see Ryan again," she said, as Ved finished his water.

"Why?"

"I don't know," Cloe answered. "He was taken so many years ago I just didn't think he'd find his way home."

"Home?" Ved asked with a chuckle.

"You know what I mean," Cloe said, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Well you came back and you were gone for years."

"That's true."

"And so did I."

"True again."  
"So why is it so shocking?" Cloe thought about it for a moment.

"Just shut up," she said, scowling. Ved laughed, causing Cloe to smile a little.

--

Amber, Jay and Lily sat watching the temple that they were about to ransack. Jay and Amber sat on the floor as Lily, who was sitting on a box, watched the temple out of the window.

"It's pretty quiet out there," Lily said, still looking out of the window. "Only a couple of people have gone in and out."

"Looks like we were right then," Amber said, looking up at Lily.

"I guess so," Jay said, standing up and walking over to Lily. He looked out of the window at the guards, who were sitting on the steps and talking. One of the guards was female and one was male. "We can easily take them out. How many are inside?"

"Right now?" Lily asked and Jay nodded. "There are three inside. So far six have gone in and left. There may be a couple of guards inside, maybe two, but once we take out the two in front we can easily take those that are inside."

"Are you sure of the numbers?" Lily looked at her father and raised her eyebrow.

"While you two have been sitting playing cards I've been keeping a close eye on things, ok?"

"I think that's a yes," Amber said with a laugh. Jay joined with his own laugh.

"Ok I'll take over," Jay said, turning Lily around. Lily walked in the direction her father had turned her and sat down across from Amber.

"What's the game?" Lily asked, as Jay stared out of the window.

--

Trudy sat in her suite with Brady. Brady watched her mother flick through an old, browning magazine from the old days. Brady enjoyed to read herself but she didn't understand her mothers obsession with the magazines that she read and found it strange that members of the Chosen actually brought the browning pages as presents. Trudy's eyes flicked up to Brady, leaving the page, and she smiled at her daughter.

"What is it, darling?" Trudy asked, closing the magazine. Brady sighed and sat up straight, her back against the sofa. She brought her knees up from the ground and looked at her mother again.

"Why are we doing this?" Brady asked.  
"What do you mean."

"You know what I mean," Brady said, motioning around herself. "This. Why did you agree to become the Supreme Mother? You told me that this was a part of your life you never wanted to repeat or remember. So why?" Trudy's smile slowly faded. "I've not asked because you're always with the Guardian but now I have you alone you need to tell me. Why are you doing this to my friends, our friends. Why are you making me hurt the people I love the most?" A grim line set on Trudy's lips.

"Brady we have a role to play," Trudy told her daughter, in a soft voice. "This was inevitable and would have happened with or without us."

"You're not answering my question, mum. I would never dare question the Guardian but I will question you."

"Brady I hate hurting our friends as much as you do but I must look out for my family. You are my family. If I hadn't agreed to join the Chosen I don't know what the Guardian would have done to you. He is not sane and any sort of rebellion would not be good for anyone. I had to do this." Brady looked at her mother, who seemed to be on the verge of tears. She may fear the Guardian, and a lot of others, but she loved her mum. Brady knew then that she had to stick by both her mother and the Mall Rats, no matter how long it would take. Brady stood and walked over to the lavish sofa her mother was sitting on. She sat down beside her and Trudy wrapped her up in her arms.

--

Ebony, Lex and Bray stood in a small shop which had been taken over, shortly after the virus, and had been in constant use since then. The store was well know for getting items that weren't in everyday circulation and Ebony had often used it when she was leader of the Locos; getting weapons and other such items. Ebony looked around the room and smiled at the memories it brought back. There were wooden shelves filled with toys, hiding the deadly secret with festivity. There were old posters and stickers on the wall, whose bright colours had slowly faded. It hadn't changed much over the years and she was reminded of the many times she and Zoot would visit, threatening their way into free weaponry. Ebony smiled in remembrance as the owner, Nathan, walked out from behind a dark red curtain. He sat weapons on the counter and a few egg shaped items. Lex picked up one of the long weapons and examined it. It was wooden with a metal shaped end. Lex nodded in approval.

"Looks good," Lex said, sitting it back with the others. He picked up the egg shaped item and squinted his brow. "What's this Nathan?" The shop keeper smiled.

"I'm not sure if it will interest you," he said, still smiling sadistically.

"We won't know if it will until you tell us," Ebony said, picking up one of the eggs and examining it. It was hard but brittle, easy to break, and as Ebony moved it around in her hand she felt something slosh around inside.

"Well it's something I've been working on, a prototype," Nathan told them. "It's filled with a liquid, best not to go into it. We've mixed it with paint. You simply throw it at an enemies face and when it explodes it fills their eyes, blinding them and disorienting them. Are you interested?" Bray was fingering an egg.

"How many have you got?" Bray asked, sitting the one he was holding down with the others.

"Just the six that are in front of you. Like I say it's something we've been working on so we haven't got too many. I suggest that if you want them you keep them for a big battle, an important one."

"We'll take it all," Lex told him, picking up the staffs. Ebony picked up the eggs and put them into her bag.

"We'll pay you as soon as the war is over," Ebony told Nathan with a smile. "Maybe it'll be like the old days and we'll decorate you as a hero." Nathan smiled.

"Payment would be enough," Nathan said with a laugh. "I already know how much of a hero I am." Ebony smiled and finished loading the eggs into her bag.

"Thanks mate," Lex said, walking out the door first. Bray gave a small wave as he walked out, trying to hold some of the staffs Lex had given him. Ebony stopped at the door and looked over to Nathan.

"Thanks for this," she said. "You do good work."

"No problem," Nathan said as Ebony walked through the door. "I'm just your friendly, neighbourhood weapons expert."

--

Jay watched out the window, still looking at the Temple, when Ebony, Lex and Bray walked in. They dumped the weapons down onto the floor and sat down.

"How was it?" Jay asked, still looking out of the window.

"It was fine," Ebony told him. "We got the weapons easily enough and we didn't have any run-ins with the Chosen."

"Good," Amber said.

"How long have we got?" Bray asked, taking Lily's hand.

"About half an hour," Amber told her son. "How's it looking out there?"

"Quiet," Jay told the group, his eyes still focussed on the temple doors. "There hasn't been any activity in the last half hour."

"Looks like we were right on the money," Ebony said, nodding.  
"So are we going to go now?" Lex asked.

"Lex we still need to wait," Amber told him.

"Why?" Lex asked, standing behind Jay and looking out of the window. "You heard Jay It's quiet. Why don't we strike now? If we wait we might miss the opportunity."

"Lex is right," Bray said. "We should go now, while we can.

"Ok, ok," Amber said, throwing her hands up in a surrender. "We'll go now. Everyone grab your weapons. Let's go to war."

--

Ryan pulled his t-shirt over his head and slid it down to his trousers. His days in the mines and on the farm had slimed him down somewhat, but not as much as Ryan thought it would have. He grabbed his belt and started to tighten it when he heard a knock at the door. He quickly fastened his belt and saw Salene standing at the door. He smiled and she smiled back.

"Salene," Ryan said enthusiastically. "Nice of you to drop by."

"I thought we should have a talk. Can I come in?" Salene asked and Ryan nodded, motioning for her to sit on the bed. She walked over to the bed and sat down, as Ryan sat down himself. Salene clasped her hands in front of her and looked up at Ryan.

"I thought I should come and apologise," Salene said. Ryan's brow furrowed.

"Why?"

"For the way I treated you back when we were married, for not finding you." Ryan nodded. "I should have found you. After I lost the baby I knew I had t find you but I just couldn't. I did try and find you but I couldn't." Ryan lowered his head.

"What happened to our baby?" Ryan asked. When he had been working in the mines he had been given a message from Luke, telling him about the baby. Luke had told Ryan about Salene's reluctance to tell him and his heart broke as he thought about his wife alone, dealing with the trauma. He had cried that night, cried for a long time, and it had taken so much time for the feeling to pass. Salene remembered the day she fell down the stairs and cringed, it was the memory she hated the most and it hurt every time she remembered, but sometimes her mind played tricks and the memory came, shaking her to her core.

"I had, had an argument with Alice and ran away from her. I slipped at the top of the steps and fell. I was knocked out and the fall...it was the fall." Tears crept into Salene's eyes as she remembered the pain and the heartbreak she felt that morning when she woke and realised that her baby had gone. Ryan saw her eyes fill and enveloped her in a hug. She fell against him, grateful that there was finally someone there to comfort her. Ryan began to stroke her hair soothingly. He could feel himself begin to cry as he thought of his poor child. He remembered the joy he had felt when Salene had told him about the baby. Suddenly the pain came back, as if he had just been told about the baby. Before he could stop it he was crying himself. He held Salene tightly, scared to let go, as they both let out their grief over their lost child.


	4. Chapter 4

The rebels gathered at the side of the temple. They had each chosen a weapon and they were ready to take on the Chosen guards and claim the temple. Lex looked around the corner and then back to the group.

"Ok we'll split up," Lex said. "We should attack from two sides. Lily and Jay you're with me. The rest go round the other side and then we attack."

"Ok," Amber said. "Let's do it." Amber, Bray and Ebony turned and headed to the back of the temple. A few moments later an almighty roar went up as the rebels charged into action. The two guards were quickly overpowered and knocked out by Lex and Jay and the rebels stormed into the temple. The Chosen guards who were praying jumped up and grabbed their weapons. The rebels charged the five guards that were praying. Lily found herself in front of a female guard, who quickly raised her weapon. Lily easily blocked her attempted hit and smashed the guard in the stomach. The guard dropped her weapon, doubling over. Lily brought her own weapon down on the Chosen girl's back and head. The guard slumped to the ground and Lily hit her once more to make sure that she was completely knocked out. Lily looked over and saw Lex, her mother, Amber and Bray each take out their own guard, bringing down harsh blows and knocking them out. Ebony hit the final blow to a guards head as Jay dragged in the bodies of the guards who were outside of the temple. They rebels surveyed the scene and a whoop rose between them. Ebony opened her bag and took out the rope they had brought.

"We should take their uniforms before we tie them up," Ebony said to the others, looking at the bodies. "They might come in useful."

"Agreed," Amber said. They all got to work, stripping the guards of their uniforms and tying them up. Once they had finished the job they stood back and surveyed their work.

"That was easy," Lex said, looking around the old church. Pictures of Zoot hung on the walls and candles were everywhere. "Now let's have some fun." Lex grabbed one of the pictures and pulled it down. He placed it over the fallen guards and grabbed a paint can. He went to work, putting a cross over Zoot's face and getting a few of the guards. He began to spray everywhere, on the floors and the walls, as the others began to smash up an alter and the seats, pull down more pictures and paint in the same fashion as Lex. Ebony grabbed a spray can and wrote over a clean, white wall 'Zoot is no more!" She finished and looked at her handiwork, smiling.

"We better get out of here guy," she said to the others. "It won't be long until more Chosen come. I think we've made our point." The others grabbed their stuff, and the Chosen uniforms. They left the building silently, closing the door, and leaving behind a message for the Guardian.

--

The rebels walked along the streets, trying to stick to back alleys. Jay peered around a corner and gave a nod of all-clear. The rebels walked out from the dark, damp alley. They continued along the street. They hadn't spoken since they left the temple. Ebony's hands were in her pockets and she was looking down at her shoes. It was her who broke the silence.

"I think we need to split up," she said.

"What are you talking about?" Amber asked, as the group continued to walk.

"Well we need food. We can't live on dust."

"That's true," Lex said, flexing his muscles. "I've got to keep my strength up." Both Ebony and Amber rolled their eyes and Lily laughed.

"Alright we'll split up," Jay said. "I'll take Ebony and Lex and we'll go and find supplies. The rest of you go back to base. We'll meet you there." Everyone nodded and moved off, the silence had found its way back to the group.

--

Brady walked into Cloe and Ved's room and found Cloe lying on her bed. Cloe was alone and Brady slowly walked over to the bed and sat down. Cloe sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed.

"How's things?" Brady asked, fiddling with the hem of her top.

"Apart from being a slave?" Cloe asked. Brady looked down at her feet. "Everything's fine. It's good that Ryan is back. I've missed him."

"My mum has told me a lot of stories about him since he's been back," Brady told her.

"So why are you here?" Brady continued to play with the hem of her top. She slowly looked up at Cloe.

"There's something you need to know," Brady told Cloe. "I'm not sure when but the Guardian is planning a sacrifice to Zoot...my dad."

"So what else is new?" Cloe asked.

"A human sacrifice." Cloe's eyes widened. "I don't know who or when but I know he's planning it."

"You have to stop him."

"I'm going to try and put him off," Brady told her. "I'm going to tell him my dad spoke to me and...well I'm not sure yet. I'll think of something. But you need to warn the Mall Rats."

"I will. How long do you think you can hold him off for?" Cloe asked.

"I'm not sure," Brady told Cloe, shaking her head. "But you need to warn everyone not to step out of line. He's not going to hold off forever and he'll choose someone who wrongs him. You can't step out of line and you can't give him an excuse."

"Don't worry we'll be on our best behaviour." Brady and Cloe looked up as Ved walked into the room. Brady stood up quickly, looking down at the ground.

"I...I'd better go," Brady said, moving to avoid Ved. She quickly made her way out of the room. Ved watched her go then sat down beside Cloe on the bed.

"What did the Divine Child want?" Ved said, rolling his eye. Cloe sighed.

"It looks like we've got trouble," Cloe told Ved, looking up and him and sighing again. "The Guardian is going psycho again."

--

Ebony, Lex and Jay returned to the rebel camp with a couple of bags of food and water. They sat them down on the table in front of Amber, Lily and Bray.

"Nice haul," Bray said, looking through the bags.

"Yeah we got lucky," Ebony told him. Ebony sat down at the table and put her feet up.

"Let's put this away," Amber said, picking up a bag. Lex, Bray and Lily grabbed a bag of their own and left the room. Jay sat down and put his head in his hands. Ebony moved along, until she was in the seat beside Jay. She took his hands in hers and he slowly raised his head.

"What's wrong, other than the obvious of course," Ebony asked, looking into Jay's eyes. Jay pulled his hands away from Ebony's and sat back in his chair. He raised his shoulders, trying to shrug the question away, but Ebony was not letting up easily.

"If you don't tell me, who can you tell?" Jay looked at her then looked away. Since he and the others had managed to get away he had, had a chance to think and he was unsure he could let Ebony in on his thoughts. He looked up at her and he saw his rock.

"I've had so much time to think," he began.

"Which isn't always a good thing," Ebony added. Jay nodded then continued to talk.

"You're right. I was city leader and I let the Chosen take over."

"It wasn't your fault," Ebony told him. "There were so many of them and the Guardian is a very devious man."  
"I know," Jay said, staring out of a window. His view was of another building, similar to the one they were in, but he couldn't take his eyes off of it. "But I had so many safeguards. The army for one thing. They were supposed to keep the peace and keep the city safe. They were useless. It was a complete waste of time."

"You did your best," Ebony told him reassuringly, placing a hand on her leg.

"But I didn't," Jay said, raising his voice. "I should have planned. I thought that because there had been peace for so many years we would always have peace. I was a fool."

"We all thought we'd have peace," Ebony told him. "You are no fool."

"But I am. I knew about the Chosen and yet I did nothing. I knew that there were Chosen in the Techno camps but it didn't enter my mind."

"It didn't enter into any of our minds," Ebony said, losing her cool slightly.

"But you were not the city leader, Amber was not the city leader," Jay said quickly. "I was the city leader. I had a duty to the people of this city and I let them down." Ebony shook her head.

"You can't go on like this," Ebony told Jay. "If you keep talking like this and blaming yourself, you'll destroy yourself and we need you...I need you." Jay looked up at Ebony, into her bright, shiny eyes. He still felt responsible but deep inside he knew that he was not to blame.

"Maybe you're right," Jay said, pulling Ebony into his lap. "I can't let myself get like this." Ebony looped her arms around Jay's neck.

"Well if you ever start feeling like this again you just come to me," Ebony told him, kissing him lightly. "I'll try and make you feel better." Jay smiled. He kissed Ebony slowly then looked into her eyes. He still felt responsible but he knew that he had a job to do and, if it came to it, he would be punished once that job was finished.

--

Two Chosen guards stood in front of the Guardian, explaining what had happened at the temple. Trudy sat on a sofa to the side of the guards, reading a magazine and not batting an eyelid. They were standing in his lavish suite and the Guardian was growing angrier and angrier with every word that was spoken. One of the guards was still covered in the paint that Lex had sprayed on him and the sight was making the Guardian livid.

"Why didn't you stop the rebels?" The Guardian screamed at a guard.

"We tried," one of the guards told the Guardian.

"Tried? Tried?" The Guardian screamed louder. "You are supposed to be elite members of the Chosen. You are supposed to work for Zoot and preserve his temple. You have let me down but more than that, you have let Zoot down."

"But Guardian..."

"Execute them," the Guardian screamed at his own guards, who was standing outside of the door. "Maybe when you meet the almighty Zoot he will be lenient but I doubt it. By not stopping the rebels you have defiled Zoot's temple. May Zoot have mercy on your souls. Get them out of my sight!" The guards, who were outside of the door, were already inside. They grabbed the two guards who were to be executed and began dragging them out of the room. Another guard, who was outside, closed the door and the Guardian sat down opposite Trudy.

"That has ruined my good mood," the Guardian said.

"You did the right thing," Trudy said, not looking up.

"Of course I did. Believers are no immune to the wrath of me or the wrath of Zoot." Trudy nodded, still not looking up. "They will all learn."

--

Ved rushed into the café, almost colliding with a Chosen guard. He stopped in time but the guard pushed him hard, making him slam against the wall. Ved shook his head, waited for the guard to pass, then sat down next to Cloe. The other Mall Rats were busy eating breakfast and didn't notice the run-in with the guard.

"Have you guys heard?" Ved asked.

"Heard what?" Cloe asked.

"About the rebels..."

"What about them?" Tai-San asked, giving Rhoda some bread. Ved shook his head. They seemed as interested in the rebels as he was in the Chosen.

"The rebels have attacked a temple." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to Ved.

"The rebels have attacked?" Salene asked. Ved nodded. The Mall Rats all looked at each other, speechless. Finally the moment they had been waiting for had finally come.

--

The Mall Rats were still sitting in disbelief at the attack their friends had committed. They knew that it was coming but they had no idea that the rebels would act so quickly or that it would be a direct attack on a temple. As they sat in silence Brady walked in and sat down at a table. Two guards were by her side and she shook her hand at them in an attempt to dismiss them. The guards looked at each other and then back at Brady. One of the guards shook his head.  
"The Guardian has told us not to leave your side," the female guard told Brady. "After the...trouble today the Guardian has told us to protect you at all costs." Brady sighed. She mustered up all of her courage and narrowed her eyes.

"I am in the mall, you idiot. What can happen to me in here? Now I am the Divine Child, the child of Zoot. Do you dare go against me? My father has given me the power to punish those who do not follow my orders. Now leave me or you will find yourself meeting my father and answering to him yourself." The guards looked at each other and stood still. "GO!" Brady almost screamed at them. The guards turned and headed down the stairs, mumbling to each other. Brady turned back to the others, who were sitting staring at her.

"Go Brady," Cloe said after a few minutes. Brady shook her head and mustered a smile.

"I hate speaking to people like that," she said softly.

"Well they deserve it," Ved told her. "Don't worry about it, Bradster." Brady rolled her eyes.

"I did it for a reason anyway," Brady told the others. "I need to tell you about the Guardian."

"Cloe already told us," Salene said. "We know about the sacrifice. We're all on our best behaviour."

"It's not that," Brady said slowly. "Did you hear about the rebels? What they did today?"

"One of the other workers told me today," Ved told Brady.

"Then he told us," Ryan added. "Finally we're fighting back."

"But all we know is that the rebels attacked," Ved said. "We don't know exactly what happened."

"They got past the two guards on the front of the temple. There were only five guards inside and the rebels easily overpowered them. They stripped the guards then trashed the temple, completely trashed it."

"Good for them," Ryan said with a smile.

"No it's not," Brady said quickly. "The Guardian is furious. He ordered all of the guards that were at the temple to be executed. They have already been killed. That's seven lives. He's on the warpath. He's ordered triple the amount of guards to be on the lookout for the others. They are in trouble, serious trouble."

"But the Guardian won't find them," Ryan said.

"I wouldn't be so sure. They may be well hidden but the Guardian has so many people. It won't take long for him to search the city. He'll take the city apart brick by brick if he has to."

"He won't find them," Cloe said after a while. "I don't care how big an army he has. He neve captured them last time and he won't this time. We will defeat the Chosen."

"I hope you right," Brady said. "I hate to think what would happen if your wrong." Brady stood up and walked to the steps. Within seconds the two guards that had left her were at her side. Brady looked at them and sighed. "Be careful all of you. No heroics." Brady walked down the stairs with her guards following closely behind her. The Mall Rats watched her leave then turned to each other.

"Do you think she's right?" Ryan asked. "Do you think the rebels will be found this time?" The other sat silently.

"No," Salene said, standing up and sounding defiant. "We all know what our friends are capable of. We have to believe in them, now more than ever and if you don't believe in them you may as well go and join the Chosen right now."

"Calm down Sal," Ryan said, reaching out and touching her arm. Salene felt lightning spark across her skin which trailed up and through her body, moving rapidly until she could almost see a blue light radiating from her skin. Ryan took his hand away as just as quickly as the feeling began it stopped. "We know eventually the rebels will win Sal but it's a lot more dangerous than last time. We just need to try and help them any way we can." Salene sat down in her chair slowly.

"We need to defeat the Chosen," Ved said. "I wasn't born to be a slave."

--

Ebony and Lex walked into the office block, one day after their attack on the Chosen temple. They had been out in the city to see if word had spread about the attack and find out the feeling of the city. All of the rebels were gathered together, discussing the raid on the food store. When Ebony and Lex walked in they all stopped talking and turned to face them.

"How did it go?" Lily asked as Ebony sat down beside her.

"The news has spread," Ebony told the group. "They know that the temple was attacked but they're still not sure about us."

"What was the mood?" Amber asked.

"Optimistic," Lex said. "Well mildly optimistic."

"What do you mean mildly optimistic?" Jay asked.

"Well they know we've hit the Chosen but they don't think it's enough," Lex told them. "They don't think that we're going to hit them hard enough to bring them down. No one wants to fight. They just want to lie down and play dead. Cowards."

"Lex they are not cowards," Amber said almost angrily. "These people have lost loved ones and a lot of them remember the first time the Chosen attacked. They remember the horror of the Locos and the Technos. They thought that they'd never have to go through that again."  
"Then why don't they fight?" Lex asked. "Our family is being held captive. My wife and my daughter are stuck in the mall with that mad man. If they want change they need to fight."

"We know how..." Jay began but was cut off.

"No you don't," Lex shouted angrily. "This is the second time my wife has been caught with that looney and now he has my daughter. The way I see it, it's your fault Amber. If you had done the right thing in the first place I'd be with Tai-San and Rhoda and the Guardian would be resting with the might Zoot. When this is all over with the Guardian will meet Zoot and I don't care how insane he is." Lex stood up and his chair fell backwards will a clatter. He walked away from the others without looking at them. He pulled open a door, letting it back on the wall, before it sank back to its resting place. The group looked at each other.

"We'd better do something quickly before he goes it alone and gets hurt," Jay said.

"And knowing Lex we'll all be brought down." The rebels looked at the door and back to each other. They knew that they had to act again soon or the city would loose respect for them but they also knew that they weren't ready and they needed help from somewhere.

--

Lex was sitting on the roof of the office block the rebels were staying in. It had become his unofficial sanctuary where he could be alone and think. His mind was wandering to the explosion on Eagle Mountain. The darkness, the black, acrid air. The heat that ran through the building and the coldness he felt when Zandra let go of his hand. Sometime, when he was alone, Lex could still fell the coldness sweep over him when Zandra's hand had been torn from his grasp. He remembered trying to find her but instead he found the exit. He remembered the pain that he felt when he had realised that Zandra and his son were gone. When he saw her body he couldn't believe that it was her. Her face and clothes were blackened and she had burn marks over her arms and face. As everyone else wandered aimlessly he took her into his arms and held her for the final time. All he could think was that this was not Zandra, it may look like her but it wasn't her. The pain he felt then was so harsh, something he had never felt before, and he felt as though he would never crawl out of the hole he had found himself in. He remembered the ball of nothingness that had found it's way into his heart.

Lex's mind went back to his first night in the mall. He lay in his bed, their bed, his and Zandra's bed, with his eyes closed, and he felt the heat. The heat began, sweeping over him and engulfing him. Within seconds the heat had been replaced and he felt the chill. The cold feeling ran through him, causing him to shiver. He continued to shiver and the chill continued to run through him as he lay on their bed. When he opened his eyes found himself grasping the air, trying to find Zandra, trying to grab her, trying to bring her back.

At that point in time Lex didn't think anything could hurt him again. He placed a barrier over himself, protecting himself from anything and anyone. Then Tai-San came along and brought him out of the hole. He had always liked her but the love he felt when he touched her surpassed anything that he had ever felt. He felt alive for the first time since Eagle Mountain. Being separated from Tai-San and Rhoda was like having a million knives shoved into his heart, twisting and tearing, cutting up everything.

Lex sighed and looked out over the city. He knew that his wife was out there, trying to survive the best he could and he knew that she would look after their daughter but his urge to see them was too much. Lex stood up and dropped the small stones he was holding. He slowly walked down from the roof and into his room. He couldn't stand it for a moment longer. He grabbed his bag and opened it. A few moments later he had stuffed the familiar blue robe into the opening and was zipping up the bag. He grabbed his coat and headed out. He was going to see his wife and daughter, no matter what it took.

--

Tai-San sat in the café alone. Salene had volunteered to look after Rhoda and she had jumped at the chance to have some alone time. She loved her daughter but sometimes she needed to be alone and think. As Tai-San sipped her tea a familiar figure walked towards her. It was the Guardian, with two of his guards. Tai-San looked down. She had tried to avoid the Guardian, whenever necessary, and she had been successful up until now. The Guardian walked towards her table and stood in front of her. She continued to look down as the Guardian dismissed his guards.

"Tai-San we have been here for months now and yet I have not seen you," the Guardian said, watching her. "Why is that?"

"I have been busy doing my chores and looking after my daughter," Tai-San said, looking straight ahead of her.

"Ah yes. You know, Tai-San, I had many things planned for you during this second takeover but that was dashed when you betrayed me." Tai-San looked into his eyes and saw fire.

"Guardian I did it for your own welfare," Tai-San told him sincerely. "I knew that the city wanted you dead and I felt the need to protect you."

"Tai-San I know now that you were the imposter," he said as if he had not heard her. "Trudy was the true Supreme Mother. I now realise that Zoot wanted us to fail during the first invasion to show us that power is fleeting but chaos is not. Tai-San you were a very important tool in Zoot's plan and this is why you are to live. Zoot has shown me this and he forgive you for betraying me. Just remember, though, that while Zoot is forgiving he does punish his enemies. You may wish to heed this notice from the almighty." Tai-San watched the Guardian leave. She had thought that he may have been angry and wanted some sort of revenge.

"That was a close one," she said, taking a sip of her tea.


	5. Chapter 5

Jay walked into the temporary kitchen they had set up and found Amber making some food. The kitchen was a former staff room and along with tables and chairs it had cupboards and utensils. They had managed to get a hold of a camping stove when they had gone for food and it ha come in really handy. Jay grabbed a bottle of water and began pouring himself a drink.

"Smells great," Jay said, putting the bottle back and taking a sip of the water.

"Who would have thought after everything we've been through we'd be back to fighting the Chosen and eating this tinned muck again?" Amber said as she mixed the food.

"I know. The next thing you know the Locos and the Demon Dogs will be fighting for power, the city will be thrown into even more chaos and everyone will be struggling to survive."

"You're not funny," Amber said, hitting him gently on the stomach. "I just thought we'd left all of this behind us. Now the Chosen are taking away everything the city has worked for. It makes me sick." Jay sipped his water and watched as Amber continued heating the food.

"Things have a way of working themselves out. You'll see." Amber laughed.

"I thought that the first time we defeated the Chosen," Amber said, casting her mind back to the cities victory. "But I lost Dal and Bray was taken from me, then Techno's came and to top it all off I lost Pride...I can't help but think that this new world of ours is becoming a bit too hard."

"It's always been hard, Amber," Jay told her.

"I know but surely, after all this time, it shouldn't be getting harder." Jay watched Amber for a few minutes more. He sat his glass down and walked out of the kitchen. Amber turned and watched him leave. She sighed heavily, as she continued to stir.

"Maybe after this battle we can live peacefully...maybe then it will be easy."

--

Lex sat outside the mall, taking cover behind two disused Chosen vans. He had been sitting there for over two hours, watching the comings and goings of the guards and the slaves. The building loomed over him and he was constantly looking up to the roof, making sure that there were no guards on the roof. Lex stared at the guards on the front door. There were only two guarding the entrance and, from his time in the mall, he knew that there were two just inside the door. In his mind he was weighing up fighting his way in or going in under cover. His mind was telling him to go undercover but his rage was building with each second he looked at his former home.

--

Ebony stood outside Lex's room. She was leaning against the wall, tapping her hands on her legs. She had been standing for only a few seconds and was already bored waiting for Lex.

"Look come on, Lex, hurry up," Ebony said, loudly. She looked around the corridor and continued to tap her hands to a silent beat. "Lex hurry up. I don't have all day. We need to go check out the food place." Ebony stood for another few minutes then turned and opened the door. "Lex we need to go now so stop..." Ebony stopped as she came face to face with an empty room. "Lex?" She asked, even though there was no one in the room. Ebony looked around and then turned on her heel and walked out of the room. She began walking down the corridor and saw Lily and Bray up ahead.

"Lily," Ebony said, almost shouting, after her daughter. Ebony ran down to join Lily and Bray. "Have any of you seen Lex? He was supposed to be coming with me to check out the food store but he's not in his room." Lily shrugged.

"Not me," Lily told her. "I've been in my room all day."

"I saw him earlier," Bray said slowly. "He was going out. He didn't say where he was going." Ebony shook her head.

"I know where he was going," Ebony said. "He's gone to do something very stupid."

--

Lex crouched behind the van. He had lost count of how long he'd been there. All he knew was that his wife and daughter were in that building and that he had to get them out. All of his reasoning was gone and all he could think about was fighting his way in and getting them back. He stood up slowly and looked at the guards. If they turned they would be able to see him but Lex didn't care, all he cared about lay inside the mall. Lex began to step forward and was tackled from behind.

--

Salene sat playing with Rhoda in the café. Tai-San was watching as Ryan came to join them. Ryan smiled as he watched Salene and Rhoda play.

"She would make a good mother, wouldn't she," Tai-San said, invading Ryan's thoughts. Ryan smiled and nodded. "She is so good with children and has so much love to give."

"I know," Ryan said, not taking his eyes off of the pair. "I must have told her that a million times while she was pregnant. She never believed me but then I reminded her of Brady, Cloe and Patsy and she would just light up."

"Salene always has had a way with children," Tai-San said.

"She has. Brady wouldn't have survived if it wasn't for Salene and Cloe wouldn't be the amazing woman she is now...and Patsy..." Ryan dragged off, trying not to think of Patsy, who had been like a daughter to him, and what had happened the last time the Chosen invaded.

"You're right," Tai-San said, taking the subject away from Patsy. "Salene has been at the heart of this tribe and she has been there for everyone." Ryan nodded. As he gazed at Salene he thought back to their wedding. He thought about when she accepted his proposal. Mostly, however, he thought about Salene kneeling beside him telling him that he was going to be a father.

--

Lex felt the massive weight on his back before he could take his first step. Lex fell onto his stomach and the other person fell on top of him. He tried to get up but the person forced him to stay down. Gravel clung to his face, scratching and scuffing his skin. He again tried to push himself up but the position he was in made it near impossible.

"Get..." Lex began but was quickly cut off.

"Shut up, Lex," someone said in a loud whisper. Lex narrowed his eyes and managed to turn his head to the side. Stones and pieces of gravel scratched his face as he looked at the person who was on his back.

"Jay what are..."

"I said be quiet, Lex," Jay said, again in his whispered voice.

"What are you doing?" Lex asked, lowering his voice.

"I'm saving you from making a big mistake."

"I wasn't going to..."

"Yes you were," Jay said, still in the loud whisper. "You were about to go into the mall and get yourself captured or worse."

"I wouldn't have gotten captured."

"Yes you would have. You were about to risk your neck and ours. What if you had gotten captured. Do you think the Guardian wouldn't ask about the rest of us?"

"I wouldn't tell him," Lex said, finally getting Jay off of his back. Lex sat up and arched his legs and Jay sat beside him. "I wouldn't give you away if I got captured."

"I know that and so does the Guardian," Jay told him. "Do you think he would just let it go? No he would throw everything he has at you."

"I could take it," Lex said defensively.

"And could you take it if the Guardian used Tai-San? Or Rhoda? Face it Lex you can't afford to go wading into the mall. We need to bide our time. Going in now wold be suicide." Lex made a face.

"I know...I just can't stand it. I can't stand my family being alone in there. At least when I was a prisoner I could protect them but now...I don't even know if they are being tortured. I need to see them."

"And you will but you need to be patient. This is harder for you than for any of us but you need to keep focussed. The more focussed you are, the faster we defeat the Chosen and the quicker you get to see them again." Lex pressed his forehead to his knees and both of them sat, in silence, thinking about the end.

--

Amber and Ebony sat at the large office table. A heavy silence hung in the air. Even though it had been years since their problems and they had been living together for a long time it was still hard for both of them to become close. Both of them knew that they could never ever be friends despite the obvious similarities between them. Not many saw those similarities but a few could see that they were both strong, independent women, who were opinionated and good leaders. They both had strong characters and they were both prepared to fight until the very end. Many people only saw the surface, saw that they had different styles, different beliefs but, deep down, they had fundamental similarities that normally would bring people together. The only problem, with Amber and Ebony, were the things that had happened in the past; the issues with Bray, the trouble on Eagle mountain and the minor clashes that had turned into major problems. Having grown and matured they could still not accept each other. Ebony looked up at Amber.

"Do you think Jay stopped Lex in time?" Ebony asked. Amber looked up from the glass she had been concentrating on since the second that she had walked into the room.

"I hope so," Amber said, after a few minutes of quiet contemplation. "If he hasn't I think we'll all be in trouble."

"Jay's good," Ebony told her. "He'll find Lex."

"He is capable," Amber said nodding to herself. "He should get the job done." Ebony's defences started to raise. She saw the look in Amber's eyes and heard the tone in Amber's voice. She knew Jay was a very attractive man and knew the amount of women who had fallen for him; tribe leaders, Techno guards, ever her own sister.

"Don't even..." Ebony began. The door to the room opened and Lex and Jay walked in, both in silence. Ebony stood up and kissed Jay lightly. "I take it that you found him then."

"And stopped him from launching a one man attack on the mall," Jay said, as he and Ebony sat down.

"What?" Amber asked, looking at Lex as he sat down beside her. "You could have been captured or killed."

"Don't work yourself up," Lex said, folding his arms. "I got a little crazy but I didn't do it. Jay made me see..."

"Good," Ebony said, clasping Jay's hand tightly. "We can't afford to lose you, Lex."

"Gee, thanks." Lex rolled his eyes.

"Now that Lex is back in action we need to go over our plans for the food store..."

--

"It won't work," Bray said in frustration. They had been sitting discussing plans for over an hour and they weren't coming up with much. Lex wanted an all-out attack as soon as possible, Amber wanted to wait and gather as much support as possible and Lily wanted to go that night, in a sneak attack to get the Mall Rats out of the mall.

"Well why don't you come up with something," Lily said defensively. "All you do is sit there and complain about our suggestions. You wouldn't have to if you came up with one yourself. So come on hot-shot, what's your suggestion?" Bray sat quietly, with his head leaning on his fist, and stared at Lily. Lily smiled. "You don't have one do you?"

"Look this is getting us no-where," Ebony said, bringing a quiet to the room. "It seems to me that there is only one thing we can do…"

--

Ved lay on his bed. It was his turn to watch the kids and both Rhoda and VJ were sleeping peacefully. He sat up and walked over to look at VJ. Ved loved his son but he knew that this was no life for him. He looked at VJ and thought about how young his son was. He couldn't help but hate himself for bringing VJ into the city and causing his only child to spend so much of his life as a slave. In his heart he knew that it hurt Cloe as much as it hurt him but he still felt responsible. He stroked VJ's face gently and watched his son make a face in his sleep. He smiled and went back to his bed. He knew that this could not go on forever and that someone would bring the Guardian down but he wished that it would happen sooner, rather than later, but something gave him a heavy heart.

--

"It won't work," Bray said again, this time more defiantly. Lily went to speak but he held a hand up. "I know I don't have an idea but this will not work. From the stories we've heard Lily we know this can go wrong. I don't want to go on a suicide mission."

"It could work," Lex said, beginning to thing. "It has worked before…" Bray threw his hands up in exasperation.

"What is wrong with you people? It won't work."

"It will work," Ebony said, standing up and placing her hands on the table. "The Guardian will be expecting an attack, that's what we've been doing so far, so he won't be expecting us to go undercover."

"I hate to say it but Ebony might be right," Amber said, looking apologetically at Bray. "I'm sorry but it's the best idea we've had." Bray shook his head.

"Fine but when we all get captured and sacrificed to the Mighty Zoot; I am not taking responsibility for it." Everyone stared at him for a few seconds before shaking their heads.  
"Stop being so negative," Lily told him. "Keep that attitude up and the Guardian will be recruiting you!" Everyone laughed and Bray smiled his fathers smile.

--

Ryan sat alone on the stairs leading to the café. He had been given time off of his work duty. The guard told the Guardian that he had slipped and hurt his ankle. What the guard didn't say was that he slipped because he had been roughly pushed from behind. Ryan didn't see who it was but he could guess. The sadistic guard who ran the work parties loved to cause pain in the slaves and Ryan had just been his most recent victim. He knew the Guardian was smart so he couldn't understand how he couldn't see what was going on. Ryan rubbed his ankle. He had to make it from the stair to his room and he knew that it was going to be hell. He stood up slowly, holding onto the railing, and tried not to put any weight on his foot. He struggled for a few steps then had to lift his foot, before it gave way beneath him. As he was struggling Ved came out of his room, as Cloe had taken over with the kids, to get a drink. He saw Ryan and walked quickly over to him.

"What's up?"

"I busted my ankle. That guard throwing his weight around again. Why aren't you on your work party?"

"I'm doing the night-shift at the petrol place."

"Hard luck."

"Do you want a hand?" Ved asked. Ryan nodded. Ved slipped Ryan's arm over his shoulder and helped his to his room. He put Ryan onto his bed as gently as he could and stood up. "Can I get you anything else?" Ryan shook his head.

"Thanks for the help though." Ved simply nodded and left the room. As soon as he was away, Ryan lay back. For the first time since he got back he was able to really think about coming back to the mall. He thought about Joanie and how the Chosen has mercilessly killed her in front of him, of returning to the mall and of seeing Salene again. He couldn't help but remember all the feelings he had for her and he could help feel a tiny spark ignite inside him when he thought of her.

--

The Guardian sat in his office, crossed legged, trying to talk to Zoot. His connection to Zoot had grown during the time that he had been stuck in the Techno camp and, as he tried to recruit others to the cause, he felt his connection deepening even more. Zoot had shown him where he'd gone wrong and he felt stronger, as if he could take on the world. Before returning to the city the Guardian had managed to recruit from many villages and cities, turning them into Zoot occupied land. The Guardian stood up and walked behind his desk.  
"Guards," he called to the door. Two guards rushed in, carrying weapons. They bowed to the Guardian. The Guardian loved the respect they showed him and he loved the power he had over them. He knew that if he ordered them to jump from the roof of the car park that they would follow his orders. "I want you to bring the Divine Child to me. Do not let the Supreme Mother know of our meeting." The guards nodded and left the room, closing the door quietly. The Guardian sat back in his chair and waited for the arrival of Brady.

Moments later Brady entered the room, a petrified look on her face. The Guardian liked that look, he liked seeing the Child of Zoot scared. He had seen her stand up to him once but as her voice rose and became stronger he could still see the fear in her eyes. He knew that she was scared death of him and he often made little meetings like this to show her that he was still in control.

"Ah Divine Child," the Guardian began, a smile spreading across his face. "It was nice of you to take the time to talk to me."

"It is no problem, Guardian," Brady said, taking a seat in front of him. He watched her sit down and could not help but see Zoot staring back at him. She had taken many attributes from her father and the Guardian was more than impressed with this. Brady was an excellent figure head for the Chosen but the Guardian knew that she had no interest in power and that she was too weak to take the position that he held.

"I just thought that you and I should have a talk," the Guardian told her, dismissing the guards with a flick of his wrist.

"What about Guardian?"

"Many things," the Guardian said, moving his hand softly over his desk. "Let's start with the rebels."

"So when should we move?" Jay asked the group.

"We can't move too soon," Ebony said. "We need to wait a while. Know the routine of the guards."

"But we already checked the place out," Lily said. "We know the routine."

"Don't you think that the Guardian would have changed that after the temple?" Amber asked. Lily nodded slowly. "So we need watches posted again. We need someone to get Chosen weapons. If we walk in there with non-Chosen weapons we'll be spotted. Lily and Bray. You two are on watch at the food store. Lex and Ebony, you two are on weapons duty. Jay we'll stay here and guard the HQ." Everyone nodded.

"Sounds good to me," Lex said. He stood up from his chair and grabbed his coat. "Let's go, Ebony. We better get started." Ebony nodded. She stood up and kissed Jay on the forehead.

"Be careful," Ebony said looking at Lily and Bray. "Amber you should check the Chosen robes we have. Make sure they didn't get damaged when we took them." Amber nodded and Ebony and Lex left the room. Lily and Bray stood up as well.

"We better get started too," Lily said, throwing on her jacket. Bray nodded and the couple left the room without another word.

"I don't know anything about the rebels," Brady said, avoiding the Guardian's stare.

"I know you don't," the Guardian said, causing Brady to let out a long breath. "If you did know anything about the rebels, you would be betraying the cause and be betraying Zoot. I know you would never betray your father." Brady kept her head down. The Guardian smiled as he watched her. "I was just wondering how you felt about the rebels. How do you feel about them escaping?" Brady looked up for the first time and her eyes met the Guardians. The Guardian's cold eyes stared at her, watching her every movement.

"I hope that they are caught soon," Brady said, her voice shaking slightly. "They should not have been allowed to escape in the first place."

"You are right of course, Divine Child," the Guardian said seriously. "The Guards have already been punished." The Guardian paused for a while and stood up, walking behind Brady. Brady sucked in a breath "Speaking of guards...I have been told that you have been dismissing them. Those sworn to protect you." Brady herself paused for a second.

"I have, Guardian," Brady began tepidly. "They follow me everywhere..."

"But they mean to protect you Divine Child."

"I know but their constant presence is a hindrance," Brady told him. The Guardian was still standing behind her and although Brady was not scared for her safety, she still did not like having him behind her, where she could no longer keep an eye on him. "I cannot be expected to talk to my father when I don't have a moment to myself. While I am inside the mall I am safe. The mall rats will not harm me, I used to be one of them. So I do not understand why they follow me everywhere."

"I see your point..."

"If I go out," Brady kept talking, as if she hadn't head him. "I may need my guards but not in the mall. What could possibly happen to me in my home."

"I take your point, Divine Child, and I shall tell the guards that they are no longer required to protect you in the mall."

"Thank you, Guardian."

"Do you have anything else you wish to discuss with me?" The Guardian asked. Brady thought for a second. She wanted to ask the Guardian about the sacrifice but he seemed to be in a good mood so she decided not to bring it up. Brady finally shook her head. "Good. You may go back to your devotion." Brady nodded and stood up. She walked quickly to the door. Brady's hand touched the door-knob as the Guardian spoke again.

"Zoot be praised," The Guardian said, in a haunting tone. Brady's hand slipped from the door-knob and she turned around.

"And to his Chosen victory and to his ever lasting glory," Brady said. She turned around, opened the door and walked quickly into the hallway. A guard closed the door and again the Guardian was left alone in his office. He sat back down and stretched back, crossing his hands on his lap. He laughed lightly and took a sip of the dark red liquid that was in front of him. He could not stop thinking of how proud Zoot would be of his accomplishments and the power, chaos and fear that he was spreading amongst the people.


	6. Chapter 6

Lily and Bray sat in a building near the food store. They were looking out of the window and watching the Chosen patrolling around the building. Lily sighed as she watched.

"What's up?" Bray asked.

"I just can't believe that we're on stake out duty again. I hate just sitting here. Nothing interesting ever happens." Bray watched Lily and nodded.

"You're right but we don't have the connections Ebony or Lex have and it would be worse staying at the HQ."

"I guess you're right," Lily admitted. "I just hate being stuck here with nothing to do." Bray put his arm around Lily.

"Don't worry," Bray told her. "When all this is over I'll make it up to you." Lily turned to face Bray, taking her eyes off the food store. As she did several guards walked up to the entrance and walked into the building.

"How are you going to do that?"

"I'll think of something," Bray said, smiling as he gave her a kiss.

--

Ebony and Lex moved unseen through the city streets. Whenever a Chosen patrol came near they would duck into one of the many alleys which crisscrossed the city. When the virus came, and the loneliness came, everyone who was a part of the city quickly learned to become invisible, learned to use the streets to their advantage, ducking and weaving, dashing from one doorway to the next, running from street to street. Everyone who was left in the city knew the city, could feel the city when they moved and Ebony and Lex were one of the few who knew the city deeply, knew its ways and knew when it was working with them. Sector seventeen was not far away but instead of taking the long route, Ebony and Lex decided to head straight through the city but this did involve moving through sector ten, the Chosen stronghold. They would be forced to pass the mall and Chosen guards would be swarming everywhere. As they neared their former home Ebony began to fell uneasy. She knew how unstable Lex could be and was unsure how he would react being so close to Tai-San but not being able to see her, talk to her, touch her. All of a sudden the mall loomed ominously over them, casting a shadow into the alley they were hiding in. Lex looked at the building and he felt as if his heart was stretching though his chest, trying to reach out to his wife and daughter. He closed his eyes and touched his wedding ring, turning it around on his finger. The cold metal seemed to calm him and his heart returned to its normal rhythm.

"We need to be careful, Lex," Ebony told him, eyeing the Chosen guards flanking the entrance. A few minutes late two patrols walked past their alley. A guard stopped and looked into the darkness but, seeing nothing, he moved on. "One wrong move and we're done for."

"I know," Lex grumbled. Ebony shook her head and looked back at the entrance to the mall, the patrols once again out of sight.

"We'll need to go back out of this alley and round the other side as soon as the guards pass by. If we don't time this right we'll be caught." Lex smiled.

"No chance."

"Cool it, Lex. No heroics. I'm not getting busted so you can play the hero." Lex just smiled and focussed on the guards. A few seconds later the patrol came by again and a guard looked down the alley. The guard turned and started to leave. Ebony and Lex watched as the guard stopped, tilted his head and looked back into the alley. Both of them knew what was happening and started to back slowly out of the alley. The guard saw the movement and began to shout.

"Strays!" He called out then, taking a second look, he cried out again. "It's the rebels! Attack!" Ebony and Lex began to run as hordes of guards poured into the alley. Both ran into another alley and, as they came out the other end, they split up, without saying a word to each other.

--

Amber and Jay sat on the roof of their HQ, watching the streets for any movement. They saw a few strays but nothing else. Jay watched the ground as a stray wandered from door to door, hiding from any possible threat. As the girl ran to one door she looked up and saw Jay and Amber. Her eyes grew wide and she turned quickly, her pink skirt flew up around her waist as she ran back down the street. Amber sighed.

"I don't know why I ever came back here," Amber said, watching the girl run round a corner.

"I'm sure we will function again."

"What once all the crazies are destroyed? That will never happen," Amber said. "But I will always be here, trying to fight for what is right."

"So why did you come back? Why leave your idea of paradise for this decay?" Amber paused and looked down. She thought for a moment but knew the answer immediately.

"Bray," Amber said simply, looking into Jay's eyes.

"He was that special?" Jay asked.

"You called living with the earth my paradise, living outdoors, sleeping under the stars, growing food, making friends. The truth is Bray was my paradise. I left everything behind for him but the truth is that he was all I ever needed. Then he was gone. Taken by the Technos while I was giving birth to our son. I haven't seen him since. How do you survive when everything you need is taken from you?" Jay though for a moment. He remembered the day that Ebony had been taken from him. He remembered raising Lily alone and how hard it had been. But mostly he remembered how he had managed to survive when everything that he needed was taken from him.

"We had to survive," Jay said. Amber looked up at him and back down to the street.

"But is that enough?" Jay was silent. He knew that he was not in a position to comment. After a few moments he broke the silence.

"It has to be, Amber. For Bray's sake." Amber looked up at Jay and thought of her son and the love of her life. She had never loved anyone since Bray and she knew she never would but she also knew that the love for her son was so great that she had to survive, for him.

--

Ebony ran through the streets. She could hear the guard's feet pounding the ground behind her as she ran. She didn't look back, just kept running, ducking this way and that trying to lose them. But no matter what she did they stayed on her. Ebony skidded around a corner and ducked behind a green dumpster which was wedged to the wall at an angle. She knew that this move would either allow her to get away or she would be caught. It was a risk but she knew that she had to take it, she was running out of breath and her heart was beating faster; she knew she couldn't keep up the pace for much longer. Ebony listened as the guards came around the corner and stopped. She heard them at the other side of the dumpster and held her breath. One of the guards lifted the lid and looked inside but saw nothing. He quickly closed the lid again and looked to his left, straight into Ebony's blazing eyes.

--

Lex laughed as he ran through the streets. He turned and looked at the guards, who were falling further and further behind him.

"Come on you wimps," he shouted as he continued to run backwards. "The great Zoot would not be pleased with your efforts." He said loudly and laughed to himself. Lex ran around a corner, then another and another before ducking into an empty building. As Lex closed the door to the building and headed further into it, the Chosen guards rounded the first corner and looked around helplessly. All they could think about was the punishment they would receive and all they could hear was Lex's laugh echoing through the city streets.

--

Ebony stared into the guard's eyes for a few seconds more and, before he got a chance to call out, she stood up and pushed with her remaining strength against the dumpster. She was surprised as the dumpster moved quite easily and toppled onto the guard who had seen her and another guard who had been standing beside him. The guard beside him was a girl Ebony remembered as a former Loco and she watched as the dumpster fell onto her back, crushing her with a sickening crack. The girl's scream rang out into the streets but she was quickly silenced. The two remaining guards simply stood and watched Ebony run off before they turned to their friends and tried to life the dumpster off of them. The guard who had seen Ebony was crying out in pain, the dumpster crushing his legs, causing sever breakages and, when the wounds healed, he would still be left with limp that would remain with him for the rest of his life. Ebony could still hear the wails of pain from the boy and as the cries were left behind she could hear the crack the girl's spine had made as it shattered under the weight of the dumpster.

--

Amber and Jay watched as Lex strolled down the street. He was smiling happily, as if he didn't have a care in the world. Amber watched him suspiciously and stood up.

"He's been up to something," Amber said as she continued to watch Lex.

"Where's Ebony?" Jay asked, jumping up. "If he's hurt her..."

"He wouldn't..." Amber started. "He has always had a score to settle with Ebony but he wouldn't do anything. I mean he knows how important she is to this."

"To this?" Jay asked. "To me." Jay rushed towards the door with Amber following.

"Jay he wouldn't do anything," Amber called after him as he ran down the stairs.

--

Bray and Lily sat watching the storehouse. They had been there for hours and night had just fallen. Dark clouds rolled over the sky, blocking out any moon or stars. They would have to get back to the HQ in complete darkness since it was too risky to stay where they were, so close to Chosen and patrols.

"I guess we should make a move," Bray said standing up. Lily nodded and held out her hands. Bray held them softly and pulled her up. "The rota hasn't changed so far. So they are working on the same system as before."

"Seems that way," Lily said, dusting herself down. "At least there won't be any surprises." Bray nodded and grabbed his jacket. The two walked quietly down the stairs. They stood at the door and peered out into the darkness. They looked at the food store, which was illuminated by torches. The heat radiated from the torches and Lily felt as if her face was on fire. Both Bray and Lily could easily make out the guards at the front door and saw guards passing by on patrols. Lily nodded to Bray who slipped out of the door and moved along the building to an alley. As the next patrol passed Lily ran to the alley to meet Bray. The heat faded but the light was still visible.

"Say goodbye to the light," Bray whispered as he watched the flames flick into the sky. Lily watched for the guards to pass by the torches again then grabbed Bray's hand. She stood up and pulled Bray down the street, back towards the HQ.

--

Jay saw Lex in the kitchen and ran over to him.

"Where's Ebony?" Jay asked, coming to a stop next to Lex. Lex just smiled and opened a bottle of water. Jay grabbed Lex around the throat. "Where is she?"

"Hey," Lex yelped. "Calm down mate. I don't know where she is." Amber walked into the room.

"Jay!" Amber called out and Jay slowly let go of Lex.

"We got caught by some Chosen at the mall and we had to split up. I haven't seen her since then."

"Sorry Lex," Jay said slowly. "It's a...tough time." Lex shrugged and took a drink of his water.

"Whatever," Lex said, walking to the door. "Didn't make it to sector seventeen by the way. We'll try again tomorrow." Lex grabbed an apple from a bowl and took a bite before heading out of the room.

--

Ebony walked into the HQ well after dark. She had run into a few patrols and decided to sit it out in building which was normally used for strays. She was going to talk to them about joining their plight but changed her mind and simply waited for night to roll around. She met a few people that she knew but no one memorable. Ebony slowly removed her jacket as Lex walked by.

"Lover boy is looking for you," he growled at her. "Kitchen." Ebony sighed and put her jacket over a chair and walked into the kitchen. Jay and Amber were standing close together, talking. Ebony narrowed her eyes and cleared her throat. Jay looked up.

"Oh thank God you're ok," Jay said as he hugged Ebony.

"Yeah I'm fine," Ebony said edgily.

"Lex told us what happened," Amber told her. Ebony grimaced slightly at Amber referring to her and Jay as 'us'.

"Well I almost got captured but managed to escape get away. I'm off to bed." Ebony walked away, leaving Amber and Jay together. She slowly climbed the stairs thinking that Jay looked as if he hadn't been worried at all.

--

Jay climbed the stairs shortly after Ebony. He had said his goodnights to the other rebels and made his was to bed. He found Ebony already there, under the covers and facing away from the door. He sat down on the edge of the bed and started to remove his boots.

"So what happened?" Ebony was quiet. "I know you're not asleep so there is no point in pretending otherwise.

"Nothing happened. The Chosen spotted us and we had to run. That's all. What happened here?" Jay took off his other boot and turned to Ebony, who was still facing away from him.

"What do you mean?" Ebony turned around, facing the ceiling, but still not facing Jay.

"Well you and Amber seemed to be cosy when I got back."

"Not this again. Look Ebony I love you. It's always been you and always will. Amber and I are friends. I am not going to pretend otherwise, ok?" Ebony narrowed her eyes. She would accept what he was saying. For now. Jay climbed into bed and slid his arm around Ebony's waist.

"I've been having a bad day. Sorry."

"Apology accepted."

--

Guards rushed into the Guardian's office. The came to a stop at the Guardian's desk.

"Guardian the rebels were spotted by a patrol outside the Mall. They were not captured but they managed to kill one of the guards and injure another."

"They were not captured?"

"No Guardian. The rebels tricked the guards and caused an accident."

"I want guards doubled in this sector and the surrounding sectors. If anyone spots the rebels they have to be captured. If they get away the guards will be punished."

"Yes Guardian." The guards left to organise extra patrols. The Guardian sighed. The rebels were becoming troublesome. The Guardian stood up and slowly walked over to his shrine. He sat down and closed his eyes.

"What will become of the rebels?" The Guardian asked Zoot.

--

Brady lay in her bed thinking about her father. According to her mother she was exactly like him, how he was in the old days. She couldn't understand how someone like her could turn into a monster. Then she sighed. She knew that if she lost her family she may go mad as well. She looked up to the ceiling, to the heavens, and closed her eyes. She imagined her father and imagined talking to him. She saw her father come towards her.

"_Brady," Zoot said slowly. _

"_Dad?" Zoot nodded. _

"_You've grown into such a beautiful young woman. I am sorry that I was not there for you." Zoot turned away. "I would have stayed with you if I had the chance. I truly loved your mother. I still do."_

"_I wish I could have gotten to know you," Brady said softly. "But I need your help. The Chosen. I don't know what to do. I'm not strong enough to fight them. They have taken my friends, my family and I just want to be back to my normal life, the way things were."_

"_My death has caused so many problems. For everybody. I didn't know this would happen. I didn't foresee it. I am not a God."_

"_Then what are you?"_

"_I'm me. I'm someone who lost his family and couldn't handle it. I did what I had to do to survive the virus and I did the best I could. Maybe Bray was right. His way was better. I'm the one up here and not him." Brady squinted at her father, but shook the thought away._

"_But what do I do? I am not strong like you." Zoot turned to face her, grabbing her by the arms._

"_You are my daughter and you are strong. Stronger than the Guardian and stronger than any of the Chosen."_

"_But I'm not..."_

"_Yes you are," he said shaking her gently. "Something will happen and, like me, you will feel the strength running through you. You will feel more powerful than ever before and you will fear nothing."_

"_But I don't want to change. I want to be me." Zoot let go of his daughter._

"_You mean you don't want to be like me." Zoot shook his head. "Listen to me now. This will happen and you will finally feel strong. You have a good heart and, in the end, you will know how to use the strength. When the time comes you will know what to do. It will become clear and you will act on your strength. Trust me. You are strong. You are strong. You are strong."_

Brady woke with a start, her heart beating furiously. She could hear her fathers words ringing in her ears and it was a sound that would not leave her. She knew she had been dreaming but she chose to believe in her dream and she kept her fathers words with her.


	7. Chapter 7

Hey I'm sorry it's taking longer between chapters. The first 6 chapters I had already written so this is being written from scratch so it may take a little while longer between chapters from now on. This is only a small part but it was only because it's been a while since I last posted!

So...ENJOY:)

--

--

Ebony and Lex had an early start. They needed to reach sector 17 and, due to the events of the day before, they decided to take the long way to the sector. This meant going into the countryside and almost completely around the city. They walked in silence. Ebony was the first to break the silence.

"Shouldn't be long now."

"Really?" Lex said sarcastically. "I've never been here before, outside the city. This is a magical place."

"Cool it Lex," Ebony said without looking at him. "I'm not in the mood." Lex made a face behind Ebony's back but continued to walk.

"So what happened to you yesterday?" Lex asked.

"Nothing. Same that happened to you." Lex felt Ebony was holding something back but he kept his mouth shut.

"Well at least we got away."

"I thought you wanted to get back into the mall," Ebony said sarcastically. Lex narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah but then I don't want my little girl to see my insides painting the wall of the Mall." Ebony laughed.

"You're not that important." It took everything Lex could muster to keep his anger within. He took a deep breath and continued to walk.

--

The remaining Mall Rats sat in the café eating breakfast. They were joined by Brady and a few other slaves. Guards surrounded them, looking solemnly into the distance. Cloe looked at the guards and shook her head.

"Do they have to be there?" She asked Brady, pulling VJ onto her lap. Brady shrugged.

"Do you want them to go?" Everyone nodded. "Ok guys it's time to leave me alone." The guards looked at Brady but didn't move. Brady continued to eat her food, staring down at her bowl. "Don't make me take this up with the Guardian...or my Father." The guards looked at each other. They started to leave.

"Just call if you need us, Divine Child." Brady shook her head as they disappeared down the stairs.

"I don't like the guards," Rhoda said gently, as she watched them leave. Everyone smiled and turned to the child, who was still looking at the stairs.

"None of us do, honey," Tai-San said, kissing the top of her daughters head. "So who is on work detail today?" Everyone shrugged.

"Do we have a day off?" Ved asked.

"It's supposed to be the rebels work detail today. There are some people from the Gulls on detail," Brady said, still looking down at her bowl. She was still plagued of the dreams of her father.

"What is up with you this morning?" Ved asked, taking VJ from Cloe. Brady shook her head.

"Nothing, nothing. Just thinking."

"So is there any more word of the rebels?" Tai-San asked. Brady nodded.

"What? When?"

"It happened yesterday. Ebony and Lex were caught outside the Mall."

"Caught?" Tai-San asked, the word sticking in her throat.

"Oh no, no. The Guards raised the alarm but they got away."

"Great," Salene said with a smile. Brady shook her head.

"It's not that great. A Chosen guard was killed. It seems like it was an accident but it was horrible."

"They deserve it," Ved said, trying to feed VJ.

"No human being deserves to die. How can you say that?" Brady asked.

"He was a member of the Chosen. They keep us prisoner. The less there are the better. I just wish they were all dead."

"Really? Really?" Brady stood up quickly, her chair falling to the ground. "What about me? And my mum? Should we be killed. You are disgusting. You are no better than the Chosen. You are no better than the Guardian." Brady stormed off.

"Brady," Ryan called after her. Brady shook her hand behind her, silencing Ryan. Everyone stared after her.

"This place is getting to her," Tai-San said, breaking the silence. Everyone nodded. "Why did you push it Ved? You know what she's like."

"I didn't think...I didn't think she'd take it so badly. I thought she hated them as much as we did."

"She does," Tai-San told him. "It's wrong to kill. She knows that. She is nothing like her father." Ved raised his eyebrows.

"After that performance...I wouldn't be so sure."

--

Ebony and Lex moved through the streets. There were a few guards around but they were easily avoided. Lex ducked into a side street, quickly followed by Ebony. Ebony then took the lead and knocked on a dark green door. A small piece of wood slid along and a man stared out at Ebony. He stared at her for a few seconds then slid the wood back. The door then opened and Ebony and Lex made their way inside.

--

Jay, Amber, Lily and Bray sat around a table in the HQ.

"So was there anything to report?" Jay asked, taking a long drink of water. Lily shook her head.

"They're still using the same pattern. Nothing has changed at all."

"Are you sure?" Jay asked.

"Yes dad," Lily said, rolling her eyes.

"Was there any indication of what was inside?" Bray shook his head.

"It's something important," Lily said. "They guard it so well. It must either be food or...petrol. There is nothing else worth protecting that much."

"I just hope that it's food," Amber told them. "We need something to rally the people."

"I know but no matter what it is, it will obviously be a blow against the Chosen," Jay added.

"Well we better move soon," Bray said. "Otherwise people will start to forget there even is a resistance."


End file.
